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Jay B.
11-24-2008, 17:48
Did the section between Watauga Dam and Damascus 2 weeks ago and was suprised by something that happened. I got into the Iron Mountain shelter around 5:30 one evening and as you know this time of year its pretty well dark by 6:00 PM. I started a fire and my hiking buddy went off to bed around 7:00. I decided to tend the fire, look at the stars and read til about 9:30. I was lying on the picnic table outside the shelter and started to hear some leaves rustle. The sound got louder and louder. I finally sat up and to my surprise here came a headlamp out of the dark. The guy said he had been hiking for 3:30 in the dark. My question: I have left in the dark about 20 minutes before sunrise to start the day hiking but 3:30 at night on a trail that he has never hiked and 8" deep in leaves this time of year? What do you guys think? I was a little surprised by this when he was alone and had never been on this section before. Come to find out he was from London and flew over here to do a 2 week section. Thoughts?

Serial 07
11-24-2008, 17:53
sounds like fun...would be interesting to do it in all those leaves...i bet he was having a blast...those crazy brits...

ChinMusic
11-24-2008, 18:12
I like night-hiking on a trail I know (have it on GPS so I can re-find the trail easily) or at least one in which there is no major penalty for getting "lost".

Hiking under a full moon, on a clear night, WITHOUT turning on the headlamp is the bomb. This time of year is good because the leaves are gone and the moonlight illuminates the trail nicely. The leaf cover makes following some trails difficult.

Phreak
11-24-2008, 18:15
I like night-hiking on a trail I know (have it on GPS so I can re-find the trail easily) or at least one in which there is no major penalty for getting "lost".

Hiking under a full moon, on a clear night, WITHOUT turning on the headlamp is the bomb. This time of year is good because the leaves are gone and the moonlight illuminates the trail nicely. The leaf cover makes following some trails difficult.
Agreed. I've done many trips where we only hiked during the night hours. It's a different experience than hiking during the day time. You should give it a try sometime. :)

Manwich
11-24-2008, 18:26
I did a presidential traverse over Mount Washington and the rest of the presidential range, did a lot of it at night. Depends on where you are as it could be dangerous, I don't know of many people who hiked Tuckerman's Ravine at night.

Mags
11-24-2008, 18:39
I night hike very often. Esp by the light of the full moon, it is a spectacular experience. The hikes have ranged from a local foothill to Longs Peak (a 14300 foot peak).

I also ski (backcountry) by the light of the full moon, and it is simply awesome. With the snow glowing, the cold air and a thermos of rum and cider by an alpine lake, I can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be...

You gotta do it...

CrumbSnatcher
11-24-2008, 18:45
night hiking is alot of fun, me and my dog have hiked hundreds of miles in the dark. i always felt safer with the dog along. mostly did it to keep the dog from overheating in the summers!(WE'D TAKE ALOT OF HOT AFTERNOONS OFF IN THE SHADE) usually hiking by 5:00 am. and when you do hike into the dusk don't put your headlamp on til you really need to, your eyes will adjust to the darkness quite well. i agree with the others give it a try its a blast!

Lone Wolf
11-24-2008, 18:49
My question: I have left in the dark about 20 minutes before sunrise to start the day hiking but 3:30 at night on a trail that he has never hiked and 8" deep in leaves this time of year? What do you guys think? I was a little surprised by this when he was alone and had never been on this section before. Come to find out he was from London and flew over here to do a 2 week section. Thoughts?

Thoughts? i think he wanted to hike in the dark

ARambler
11-24-2008, 19:02
Iron Mt was my longest night hike last year. If you like hiking, you have to night hike when the days are so short. I also prefer to hike in the morning, because my legs are fresher so I don't stumble as much. Also, I feel like I "didn't make it" when I night hike for more than a mile. Iron Mt is a good day for sobo's and if you do town chores in the morning, it easily turns into a night hike. Also, last year I did a big detour to get water.

Iron Mt and Little Laural shelter were the only nights in the woods between Damascus and Hot Springs. The Hostels really cushy down south. A little night hiking is no big deal.
Rambler

Cabin Fever
11-24-2008, 19:02
It's tough to beat a full moon hike after the leaves have fallen. Grassy Ridge on a full moon is spectacular. You almost can touch the moon.

Nicksaari
11-24-2008, 20:28
i summit camped cold mtn, specifically choosing the date of a full moon, and prayers were answered with clear night skies. needless to say, with the view and the illumination of the valleys east and west, it was a surreal night. sat up all night with friends, a roaring campfire, and libation.

Egads
11-24-2008, 20:31
It's enjoyable as long as the trail is easy to follow in the dark.

sticks&stones
11-24-2008, 20:40
Night hiking can become addictive. I cant say exactly why but I prefer it. During winter it is almost impossible to avoid. A good headlamp, Art Bell on AM, and a little snow beats a sunny 75 degree day anytime. However I always steer clear of shelters when it's late. Even shelters directly on trail it's possible to night hike by without waking it up.

DuctTape
11-24-2008, 21:02
Just this past September I hiked from the rim of the Grand Canyon to Colorado River under the full moon. That was by choice, but often this late in the season when the days are short it can be out of necessity.

jersey joe
11-24-2008, 23:31
I am not a big fan of hiking in the dark. Slow going and I find myself tripping a lot, frustrating mostly. Setting up camp and eating dinner in the dark isn't my favorite either. The fact that I have a really crappy headlamp doesn't help.

Hikerhead
11-24-2008, 23:35
Have you ever came across other night hikers while you are night hiking. It's happened to me twice and both times I never saw the other hikers. It's like they ran and hid. Maybe they were poachers.

Deerleg
11-24-2008, 23:54
I hike almost every evening all winter in my local metro park and have enjoyed many hours on the AT at night too mostly without using a head lamp. It helps you work on a whole different set of skills. I think you become much more aware of the feel of the ground and become a little more intuitive in knowing where the path is in relation to the rest of the environment you are walking through...

mtnkngxt
11-24-2008, 23:56
Mount Rogers 2 saturdays ago my buddy and i were camped off the trail and heard a group walking by at about 2am. My guess is they were too cold to stop and just kept walking.

girlnextdoor
11-25-2008, 00:22
I hiked alone a lot on the Trail and nighthiking was one of my favorite things to do. I got to be by myself and hike my own speed and once, share the trail with a possum! It was wonderful to see things with the unique perspective that comes when night falls. I seemed to use my senses fully.

Jim Adams
11-25-2008, 00:52
Did about 250 miles of the trail at night in 1990 including the Lincoln-Lafayette-Garfield stretch to the highway before Webster Cliffs. I thought that it was spectacular until I did it in the daylight in 2002....can't believe how different the two experiences were but I still liked both.

geek

Lyle
11-25-2008, 10:08
Night hiking can be all kinds of fun, or it can be a Pain in the A$$. Mostly related to whether or not it was planned and if it comes at the end of a very long day.

I love winter night hiking with snow and full moon - pretty much like daylight hiking, but more beautiful. Can also be the bomb when daytime temps are just plain TOO HOT.

As others have said, day vs night hiking offer different experiences, but both worthwhile and offering their own charms.

My vote: Mix it up.

Kerosene
11-25-2008, 10:35
Hikerhead introduced me to night-hiking last month, for 2-3 miles from Osborne Farm to Double Springs Shelter in northern Tennessee. Even though the trail was covered in leaves and the moon wasn't out, you could still determine where the trail went as all of the undergrowth had been removed from the trailbed and the leaves were slightly darker on the trail than off. It was a neat change (especially walking through the fields of Osborne Farm just after sunset), but I was glad I was with someone and that the blazing was good.

A few nights later I walked about 45 minutes after dark by myself as the snow started to fall. I wanted to replace my ballcap with a fleece cap, but that wouldn't keep the snow off my glasses. It was cold enough, and still enough, that the fog of my breath reflected my headlamp's light, effectively blinding me at times. I took it slow, made sure I looked around carefully at potentially confusing spots like open areas, and counted my steps between blazes. It was actually a lot of fun!

Hikerhead
11-25-2008, 14:02
Hikerhead introduced me to night-hiking last month, for 2-3 miles from Osborne Farm to Double Springs Shelter in northern Tennessee. Even though the trail was covered in leaves and the moon wasn't out, you could still determine where the trail went as all of the undergrowth had been removed from the trailbed and the leaves were slightly darker on the trail than off. It was a neat change (especially walking through the fields of Osborne Farm just after sunset), but I was glad I was with someone and that the blazing was good.

A few nights later I walked about 45 minutes after dark by myself as the snow started to fall. I wanted to replace my ballcap with a fleece cap, but that wouldn't keep the snow off my glasses. It was cold enough, and still enough, that the fog of my breath reflected my headlamp's light, effectively blinding me at times. I took it slow, made sure I looked around carefully at potentially confusing spots like open areas, and counted my steps between blazes. It was actually a lot of fun!

That was fun, you didn't have any problems. In foggy conditions you need to carry your headlamp down low, just like in a car. I know what you're thinking, it would take a genious to figure that one out.

Summit
11-25-2008, 14:47
Night hiking is cool and exciting, but you do miss the scenery. I typically do it just to get a couple miles up a trail after driving to the trailhead to start a hike.

Mags
11-25-2008, 15:21
Night hiking is cool and exciting, but you do miss the scenery. I typically do it just to get a couple miles up a trail after driving to the trailhead to start a hike.

I would say you don't miss the scenery..you see it in a different way. :sun

http://archive.boulderweekly.com/080207/elevation2.html

The Solemates
11-25-2008, 17:21
night hiked for about an hour in the dark in the snow last night along PA's Mid State Trail but it wasnt exactly by choice :) my buddy wanted to shoot for long miles to finish last night instead of this morning like we originally planned.

chknfngrs
11-25-2008, 19:25
Absolutely love getting a leg up and start hiking at night. Especially in recent times, where it is hard to get out of town for a hike. Many many times have I left work and been at the trailhead, sometimes arriving as late as midnight. It is selfish, but I find I maximize my enjoyment that way.

And as far as scenery, I have had the crap scared out of me by a large bird of unknown branding letting from his roost. I have seen hunter trails marked with highlighted pins, and finding and locating somewhere to crash.

I detected a node of concern with one's serenity being destroyed by a late-arriving hiker in the first post. Not sure if we've addressed that fully, but I feel like it's just another variable to any wilderness experience. If it's not a hiker showing up late, it's wildlife.

I think night-hiking is a great great thing and will continue to do it forever.

Marta
11-25-2008, 22:10
While it's better to be able to hike by the light of the moon, it's good to have a bright headlamp available. I used to use a two LED headlamp that really didn't cut it. When I switched to a four LED headlamp, suddenly there was a lot less stumbling around in the dark.

My husband and I just got back from REI. He got a new, brighter headlamp. (He has been using the two LED model mentioned above.) I got new lithium batteries for my headlamp. At this point, I think we could spotlight deer.

Bare Bear
11-25-2008, 22:14
I've done some by not getting where I wanted before the sun went down.........but in Florida at Myakka River Prarie a Sierra guy and I were up around full moon midnight and he asked if I wanted to see the best night hike ever. He lead me w/o light about a mile out then we just sat there watching animals come and go, the wind blowing across the plain, then it rained so we ran back to the tents but it was fantastic (except explaining to my lady why I woke her up wet) and I have in turn taken many people out there to see it on full moon nights. There is also a full moon paddle in north Fl where you can go about 7-8 miles just after dark, see the animals eyes light up along the banks, then they have a campfire and late dinner. Very cool.